Wednesday, February 3, 2010

I will no longer be posting to this blog. I currently have 2 blogs going and it is getting difficult to keep up with both of them, along with everything else that is going on. Going forward, all of my projects, patterns and everything else will be posted to:

Monday, February 1, 2010

I think in one of my posts I mentioned I had a few WIP's, well she was one of them. I finally finished her. Her name is Cherise, she is a crocheted 14" doll with thread jointed arms and legs. I really like the thread jointing - gives her arms and legs mobility and the ability to pose. I will be posting the pattern in my Etsy and Artfire stores and will also be available in Ravelry in the next couple of days. I tried several new techniques with this doll, and it all pulled together really well.

I also designed and made some new jewelry too. I will post those pics later.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Happy 2010 - We are nearing the middle of January, hope everyone had a good new year. Well, here we go - projects, projects, and more projects. I have 3 WIP'S going along with some new jewelry I made. A new year treat from me to me ... :-) I knit a a beautiful bronze scarf, pic coming, and these pieces match perfectly. And to make the set all that more enticing, my sister knit a pair of matching fingerless gloves (pic coming soon). Now that I have my scarf and gloves and jewelry, I need a special place to go! Here are my new jewelry pieces:

Thursday, December 31, 2009

Another year is ticking away and 2010 is right around the corner. This last year had some major personal challenges for me, but I survived and made it. Thank goodness for my crafts - my crafts kept me happy and sane.

A special thank you to everyone who sent me all the wonderful and positive comments. Wishing everyone a very healthy and happy new year. And, of course, strive for a stellar "crafty" year.

Thursday, December 24, 2009

I wanted to take this opportunity and wish everyone a Merry Christmas. It seems each year the holidays creep up on us faster and faster, and this year was no exception. May this holiday season bring friends, family and loved ones closer together.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Here is a delicious alternative to cranberries. I made a cran-raspberry jam (for gifts) and it came out delicious! Naturally I had to taste it to make sure it was good enough to give as gifts, hehehe. Was fabulous on English muffin, toast and cinnamon bread. I wanted to share this recipe with everyone. Here is what you need:

Place all of the ingredients in a large heavy stockpot. Stir to combine. Cook over high heat until mixture starts to boil. Continue cooking until the cranberries start to pop, another 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat. Using a hand/immersion blender, puree the the fruits. If you do not have a hand blender, you can use a potato masher, blender or food processor. You may need to puree in two batches in the blender or food processor.

CAUTION: If you use a blender, place a kitchen towel over the lid and down tightly. When you blend hot items in a blender, it will cause the lid to pop off and you will have hot liquid everywhere.

Return to heat and simmer for an additional 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The jam will thicken and set once it is cooled.

Remove from heat and carefully ladle into prepared jars. Place the lid - do not screw on too tight. Turn the jars upside down and allow to cool completely.

Refrigerate after the jars have completely cooled off. Keep refrigerated.

Makes 5 - pint size jars of jam

You can substitute any kind of frozen fruit for the raspberries. I dont know about blueberries, it may discolor the jam.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Here is my new lil kitty - Witty Bitty Baby Kitty - she measures 4" tall. I crocheted her with Red Heart Symphony. This yarn is fuzzy, so I fluffed her up a bit with a toothbrush. I am finishing the pattern.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Ok I am on a roll here - I finished Chelsea the Cat. She measures 6-1/2" tall and crocheted with Lion Brand Pound of Love. I am on a mission to finish all of my WIP's before the end of the year. That way I can have more WIP's - lol. Pattern is available at:

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

It seems as soon as Halloween comes and goes, the end of the year is a blink away. Here we are, a day before Thanksgiving... I honestly dont know where this year went. It seems each year goes by faster and faster.

With that said, I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Festive eating (and indulging, lol). This is the time to reflect and give thanks, for our health and our loved ones.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

A new addition to my holiday toys - Mr & Mrs Christmas Mouse, enjoying their sled. Each one measures approximately 4-1/2" tall, not including the hat or the bow. I used Lion Brand Pound of Love (white) and Bernat Satin (Crimson) with a size E crochet hook. You can download the free pattern here:

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Here is an easy way to make a tassel using embroidery floss. Unfortunately I cant take credit for this idea - I was watching a craft show on my local PBS channel and they showed how to make this. I thought it was a clever idea - and with all the beautiful colors of embroidery floss, you can make an array of tassels!

Remove wrapper from floss and separate.

Cut in half

Take one full strand from bunchand tie in center, secure with aknot. Make one end slightlylonger.

Take the longer strand andwrap around top 2 times -thread the strand throughneedle and bring throughtop. Secure with a knot.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Now I have to admit, when I saw this, I must have replayed it over and over. It was amazing to hear these dogs actually speaking, or at least mimicking words. Regardless, it was amazing. I had to share this clip with all of you.

My ultimate favorite is the very last dog. You have to check this out. Enjoy!

Friday, October 16, 2009

Here is my newest addition to my kitty series, Tiny Ami Kitty in Jammies. She measures approx 3-1/2" tip to tip. Fingering weight yarn was used for this little one with a size 0/1.75mm steel crochet hook. I hope you enjoy this pattern. Enjoy!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Good news, no more cutting and pasting! YAY!!! All of my free patterns are now available as a download. Just click on the pattern you want and you can now easily download the PDF pattern. I tested a couple and it worked fine, but in case you have trouble downloading, send me an email and I will check it out. Make sure you let me know which pattern you are having a problem with. I hope this makes it easier. Going forward, all my free patterns will be listed as a download - I will not be posting the pattern instructions. I had so many requests for the PDF I feel this will be easier for us all.

I am working on the PDF downloads for my tutorials. As soon as I get those done, I will post those as well.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Here is a great suggestion for using the Pumpkin Pincushion. This was sent to me by a fellow blogger. She is planning on making several of these pumpkins and using them as name place holders for her Thanksgiving dinner. She plans on writing the names of her guests on card stock and pinning them to the little pumpkins. Might even be a great give away too for each guest. With the holidays right around the corner, great ideas like these are really appreciated. Thank you for letting me share this idea with my fellow bloggers.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Here is a variation to the Crocheted Pumpkin Pincushion. I call this a Daisy Pincushion. It is the same pattern as the Pumpkin Pincushion, with a few changes. First, I omitted the leaves and used a decorative button instead. I used Lion Brand Pound of Love in Turquoise, same hook size and contrasting black yarn for sectioning the daisy. You can make this with many variations. I thought I would share this with you. Enjoy!

Sunday, August 30, 2009

I dont know about anyone else, I love Asian food - especially potstickers or dumplings. Well, I finally tried making some and they came out really good! Here is my recipe if you want to try it - if you make some, let me know what you think. I made mine with ground Pork, you can use chicken as well if you dont eat Pork.

1 12 oz pkg Won Ton skins(There are 48 won ton skins in a pkg - this recipe will make 48 dumplings. These dumplings freeze well).

Mix ground pork with all the ingredients.Place 1 small tsp filling in center of won ton skin - moisten edges with water.Fold in half to form triangle and pinch seam on top, moisten to seal.Place dumplings on a large cookie sheet lined with wax paper.Continue until all of the won ton skins are used.(I froze mine on the cookie sheet and packed in serving size portions in a zip lock bag after dumplings were completely frozen.)

To Cook:Add 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a heated skillet. Place dumplings filling side down and cook for about 2 minutes, or until the bottom is browned. Pour 1/4 cup cool water in skillet and immediately cover and allow dumplings to steam. Cover quickly - skillet will sizzle. Steam for 1 minute - remove cover and lay dumplings flat on one side and steam for another 2 minutes. Remove to serving plate and serve with dipping sauce.

NOTE: When cooking the dumplings, dont crowd them in the skillet. I cooked 12 in an 8" skillet, with plenty of room to move the dumplings around.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Every now and then I do a search for something and get side tracked into something else. I came across this site which really fascinated me. It transforms your picture into something you wouldnt believe. You need a head shot to get it done right. Just follow the directions and have fun with it. Here are a couple of my pics -

I came across this new yarn by Lion Brand (Vanna's Glamour) - it is a fine yarn with sparkling specks throughout the yarn.. so I picked up 2 skeins (no self control, lol) and decided to knit a scarf. I used a 10-1/2" straight needle and used a seed stitch. I wanted the scarf to have a slight airy look yet not too airy and I also didnt want a tight stitch. I have to say the pictures dont do this yarn any justice. It is beautiful. My color choice was copper with bronze shiny specks. Will be really pretty for the holidays. Here we are, end of August, the holidays just a blink away. So I decided to start some gifts ahead of time. It looks really nice. What do you think?

It has been sooooo hot here the last few days there is no energy to do anything let alone knit.

Monday, August 17, 2009

I am published! Three of my ami patterns are published in the 2010 Crochet A Day Calendar -How cool is that? I just received my complimentary copy of the calendar today. These are the three patterns selected:

Monty Bear, January 25

Tiny Chihuahua, September 27

Petit Pincushion, October 8

The calendar is available at most craft/yarn stores and can be ordered through Amazon.com... here is the link:

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Well, here it is. I had an overwhelming demand for chocolate Twinkies from my family. I didnt make a chocolate spongecake - I cheated this round. I used a packaged chocolate cake mix and made buttercream frosting. I did notice though the tops "peaked" a little more than the spongecake did, but it's all good, lol. Who cares about the peaks when you have homemade Twinkies. Yummers!!! Now to pass them out and see what kind of feedback I will get. This will be the perfect ending for dinner for tonight - I am making Greek Pastitsio, which I love, along with a Greek salad with Kalamata olives, Feta cheese, tomatoes and cukes - instead of lettuce I am using Baby Arugula with a light olive oil dressing. I am getting hungry, lol.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

I was doing a search online for something and got sidetracked into something else - during my internet travels, I stumbled upon this cake/muffin pan - it was a Twinkie pan! OMG!! I love Twinkies and what could be better than homemade Twinkies? Not much, lol. So, I ordered the pan. My family has nicknamed me "gadget queen" because there isnt a gadget out there that I dont have - I had to live up to my title. With that said, I made some Twinkies and was it ever delicious. I used a Genois (spongecake) recipe and filled with sweetened whipped cream. I even took it one step further and wrapped each one individually with plastic wrap lol. Made for easier chilling and passing out to my family. Well here it is - my Homemade Twinkies. I have to say the pan was heavy duty and I was quite impressed. It came with a plastic decorating set - I just used my disposable cake decorating bag and a writing tip with a large opening to fill each Twinkie. Now I have to try chocolate genois with sweetened chocolate whipped cream..... yummmmm!!!!

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Here is Leilani, my crocheted Hawaiian doll with her cute hula skirt and sandals. She stands 14" tall. Leilani means Heavenly Flower. I will have pattern information soon. I just finished her and wanted to share her with everyone.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

I had several requests for a large version of my Kuromi doll and here she is. This is the BAD adorable kitty (if you can use BAD and adorable in the same sentence). She stands 7" tall from bottom of base to top of her head, not including the ears.

As always, if you want this pattern in PDF, send me an email and I will be more than happy to email it to you.

Well here we are, end of June. The months are just flying by. I wanted to get this posted earlier, but better late than never. This is my newest addition to my kitty series - my Independence Day Kitty, all decked out and ready for the 4t of July and fireworks. I hope you enjoy this pattern.

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Unless otherwise specified, all patterns listed are my original patterns. You may use my patterns but please give credit as the pattern designer and link to my website if published in your blog or any other form. I enojoy sharing my crafts/ideas/patterns and hope you enjoy them as well.

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